Finnbear 35042

[Guest]

My Bofors '06 was purchased in Germany by a friend of mine in 1967. It is interesting in that it has a factory ramp rear sight graduated 100 meters to 500 meters in 20 meter increments. Anyone ever seen another one like this?

 

[Guest]

Rick,

I think some of the early Garcia Model 72's had a similar sight; at least it looks similar in profile to those illustrated in some old catalogs I have. Most of the Garcia era iron-sighted rifles used a Williams sight.

 

[Guest]

Hello SCR. Exactly. I have several Sakos with the Williams sights but this is the only Sako factory sight I have seen. Have you seen others like this???? Have you seen any pre 1967 rifles with this sight? I haven't. Regards, Rick.

 

[deergoose]

You guys are right. Most of the rear sites seen are of the simplier type found on the model 72s. There are at least two different types on the centerfire rifles besides the one on the model 72, and possibly one other variant of the rear site on the rimfire P models from the '70s. I don't know right offhand if the rear site on my P72 is the same as the one found on the sporters and deluxes from the '60s. This is worth looking into. If I had to guess, I'd say that 1 in 50 rifles or less imported into the states had the rear sites. And it seems that Riihimaki guns had more of them than the rifles from the '60s and '70s. Check the photo section here for rifles with the rear site in 'Collectable Sako Rifles', and SakoSpirit has quite a few small action rifles from the '50s that have the rear sight. I will say that I don't recall ever seeing this rear sight on Mannlicher rifle, and have only one deluxe model w/ the site on it.

DeerGoose

 

[deersako]

Just attached a picture of one of my rifles with the rear ramp sight. Seems to be the more common variant of the early models here in Australia. Happy hunting !

 

[deersako]

Try again.

 

[Guest]

My P72 in .22 LR has a Williams rear sight. My understanding is that it is a very early gun, so I'm doubting that any of the P72s came with the vernier-type discussed here. But never say "never" when discussing Sakos.

 

[olli-finland]

The rear sight in the picture is very common here in Finland and at least three types of it have been made. .22 caliber rifles like P46 and P54 have sights gratuated from 10 meters to 100+ meters, some rifles like L46 have a sight gratuated from 0 meters to 300 meters and some rifles like L57 have a sight gratuated from 100 meters to 500 meters. I have allso seen one early L46 that had an sight like this but without those "ears" in the rear of the sight. Nobody seems to know the date when Sako changed the model but at least I have seen an L461 with this kind of sight and that rifle has been made in the autumn 1972. It seems that those rifles exported to USA differ pretty much in details from the rifles that stayed in Finland and there can be a lot differences that are hard to find.

 

[Guest]

Rick:

Here's what looks like a Garcia Model 72 for sale on Gunbroker with a similar sight: https://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=107749683

 

[Guest]

I have always wondered about this odd ball. As many of the old timers on the forum know I collect the goofy ones. Sadly, this one is on GA as we speak. I have a wedding to pay for in October. My friend picked this one out of a stack of rifles in the Rod and Gun club in Stuttgart as he had drawn a Red Deer tag in 1967. He never scoped the rifle and shot a huge Royal with the open sights. The rifle has been fired 4 times.....3 shots to sight in and one shot on the big Bull. I hope nobody buys it as it has always been a favorite. Here is the link. https://www.gunsamerica.com/953719746/Guns/Rifles/Sako-Rifles/Sako_Finnbear_Bofors_Steel.htm

By the way, has anyone ever figured out a product that retards the butt pad deteriation? Regards, Rick.

 

[Guest]

By the way, has anyone ever figured out a product that retards the butt pad deteriation?

Something like Armorall might help a little.

The problem is in the chemistry of each pad. If you'll note, some of them turn to jelly, and others become hard and crumbly. I'm lucky to have several, like the one on my 1963 .264, that are as good as the day they left Finland. It seems that the supplier was rather inconsistent in the rubber compounding, so it's the luck of the draw as to how your pad holds up.

As common as deteriorated pads are on Sakos, I would think that some enterprising supplier would offer a factory replacement, much like the red Winchester pads you can buy.

 

[deergoose]

Olli is right on w/ his assessment. I dug up some old photos and pulled the P72 that I have w/ the rear site, it is the "simplier" / narrower style as found on the model 72 centerfire guns. This makes sense, since the sites all came from the same 2-3 year period in the early '70s. Olli is on to something w/ the "ears", which makes me want to dig further. Also, a lot of the Garcia era Finnwolfs have the rear sight, presumably for a fast target picture (??). Good stuff here guys, thanks.

DeerGoose